Imperfect House Tour: Leah’s Room

One of the things I wanted to do for each kid’s room was surprise them with something special – just for them. A small HGTV moment, if you will. Leah is twelve, almost thirteen now, so I knew this room would grow with her into her teen years, and I wanted it to have some longevity and coolness, without being too over the top trendy.

I’ve also learned that Leah is not fantastic with surprises and really big change, so I had to tread carefully. I had to find a way to make sure she had some involvement, but didn’t give away the surprise. You should also know, that about a month before moving, both kids were banned from the house – lest they see their surprises. Husband thought that was sort of mean – but the payoff was worth it in the end.

Here is her room:

And here is her surprise:

I stumbled across this wallpaper that looks like hand-drawn frames over on Layla Grace, and I knew it was the perfect way for Leah to hang pictures, ribbons, mementos, etc. and create not only a Wall of Awesome, but a well-designed way to keep all that from looking junky. It’s modern and graphic and an easy visual statement that grows a personal story – perfect.

To keep her touch and input in this, I asked her to go through some favorite pictures and pick some out – I just didn’t tell her WHY. (Sneaky!) I added to that some family pictures, and some silly Instagram moments, et voila! The start of her wall.

For the record, she loved it! “THIS WALL IS GOING TO BE TOTALLY FILLED BY THE TIME I GO TO COLLEGE!”

Um, okay, then! Noted.

Here are some other details:

I had some standard bi-fold doors trimmed out with simple moulding, and added a touch of a sparkly glass knob. It is a girl’s room, after all.

This is actually a custom piece that lived in our old master bathroom that provides a ton of storage – more than any dresser could hold – for that soon-to-be growing teen wardrobe. The moving company lost the shelves that go in it, but that will be fixed soon. See that fantastic green, flame-stitched chaise lounge? It used to live in my grandmother’s formal living room. Leah fell in love with it and begged to have it in her room – so…fine. It will eventually get recovered in a navy and teal patterned fabric (but retaining the flame stitched awesomeness underneath just in case), but for now, it is loved by a twelve-year-old and I love that she loves it.

And, finally, this is her great-grandmother’s dress from when she was two years old. It is over one hundred years old and has hung in her room since she was born. (It is also the great-grandmother she is partially named for.) Those letters were in her nursery with pink and green ribbons, and now have been updated a bit.

Some less-temporary window coverings are part of the plan, and a few other additions, like better lamps, are as well, but for now, it’s a good start. It’s a room that fits her now, and will grow with her. I can’t wait to see the story unfold.